


Bottom of the River

by Bhetelgeus



Category: Baby Driver (2017)
Genre: Addiction, Angst, Drug Use, Hurt/Comfort, I only know how to write about one thing apparently, I'm Sorry, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-06 17:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12215289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bhetelgeus/pseuds/Bhetelgeus
Summary: *PRE-MOVIE*Baby ends up getting sucked into a whole new part of the world of crime he's become intimately familiar with...  And an unlikely ally comes to his rescue.AKA: the story in which I picked another universe to write about the same BS I always do. :D





	Bottom of the River

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Looks like I've got another story about the same stuff, just a different verse. I hope y'all can forgive me for my obvious lack of diversity. :D If it's not to terrible, leave a note and let me know if I should continue.

                _It wasn’t supposed to go this far._

_It had started out small… Just a little something to help with the migraines…_

_But, it didn’t end that way._

                “Jesus, Baby. You look like shit.”

                Darling’s observations were only the beginning.

                It was the start of another one of Doc’s many, unending jobs. Baby had just turned nineteen a couple weeks earlier, and Doc had seen fit to gift him with a few extra bills as some sort of backwards birthday gift. He’d meant to tuck away the extra for when he was finally out of the game, a way to get ahead, save up for Joe’s future retirement home or any unforeseen medical bills… But, it hadn’t worked out that way. It never did.

                This time, though, his struggle was teetering dangerously on the edge of visibility. He had no misconceptions; no doubt, Doc knew what he’d been up to the past year. But, it had never been a problem. Until today. He’d shown up late, and for a driver whom Doc prized for his speed, showing up late – especially to a job intel meeting – was completely unacceptable.

                Leave it to one of the heist team to point it out. If Darling had just kept quiet, then Doc wouldn’t’ve had to address it in front of the others. Then again, the moment Baby walked in and saw the dynamic duo known as Buddy and Darling, he knew that his chances of going under the radar were nil to zip. They’d done so many jobs together over the years that they’d grown accustomed to each other’s mannerisms. If anyone was going to see the sluggish way he moved, the dark circles and red-rimmed eyes he was trying to hide behind black shades, or the jitter in his leg, it was going to be them.

                And he’d forgotten the coffee. So, he’d failed as Doc’s errand boy for the day, too. Great.

                _Half The World Away_ started playing softly in his earbuds, Aurora’s melodic voice crooning into his head and helping to soothe the dull ache behind his eyes. The ringing in his ears was particularly painful that morning and he fought back a wince, trying to maintain his normal stoicism.

                “What happened to you?” Buddy asked, his hand going for his sunglasses. Baby slowly leaned out of his reach. The last thing they needed to see was just how terrible he really looked. Doc had an image he needed to uphold, after all.

                “Food poisoning,” came the lie, low and monotonous. Buddy and Darling exchanged looks that showed just how little they believed him.

                “Baby,” came Doc’s voice, teetering between irritated and business-like as it always did. “I don’t care if you’re bleeding internally. I have a tight schedule to run and the last thing I need is for your poor taste in cuisine to throw it off.”

                “Sorry,” Baby replied flatly. The others snickered. Doc sighed and went to the chalk board.

                “Oooh, Baby’s in trouble with Daddy,” said their third crewmember, Sally. She was a tall, beautiful woman that they’d done a few jobs with before. She had no sense of tact when it came to the appropriate time to say certain things, such as inferring that Baby and Doc had any other kind of relationship than the ‘professional’ one that they shared. But, she was a good thief and that made her an asset to Doc. It was Baby’s bad luck, really… That the three snarkiest criminals he knew – four, if you counted Doc – were all in the same room, scrutinizing Doc’s favorite pet. Baby sighed and folded his arms, leaned back, and tried to focus on what their newest game plan was.

                The ringing in his ears intensified.

-+-+-+-

                _Several months earlier…_

_It hurt. And it made everything else hurt, too. Baby struggled to remain upright as he stumbled from his tiny bedroom to the bathroom on the other side of the apartment, retching the bit of coffee he’d drank earlier into the toilet. Joe rolled up to the doorway behind him, waves of pity rolling off of the foster parent as he watched helplessly. The tinnitus, exacerbated by Baby’s most recent job and its unusually copious amount of close-range gunfire, brought on migraines more than once. But, not like this. Before, some rest and Tylenol usually did the trick. But now, nothing worked. And the pain had wrapped around his entire head, making him dizzy and nauseous, unable to even stand as he clung to the side of the tub for dear life, his world spinning around him…_

_At first, he suffered. Then, as the migraines increased in intensity and frequency, and they started affecting his ability to drive, Baby had finally had enough._

_He was in the bathroom once again, trying not to get sick, hoping that Joe was still asleep. Each time he tried to stand up, he’d get about knee-height before the throbbing pain in his head put him right back on the ground. After a while, Baby just curled up on the cold floor, shaking, waiting until it had subsided enough to finally take some Tylenol and crawl back to his room before Joe noticed him having yet another episode._

_It took a full four hours._

_When he was finally able to stand, he pulled open the mirror cupboard and started digging through the various bottle of Advil, Tylenol, ibuprofen… Nearly six different bottles sat on the shelf, each one empty. Baby chucked them into the garbage in frustration before gripping the edges of the sink and riding out another wave of pain. Surely, there was something he could do… Something – anything – to alleviate the pain. If he was still like this tomorrow, before the job…_

_And then, the vibrant orange bottle, which had been hidden by Baby’s impressive over-the-counter collection, caught his eye. With a trembling hand, he reached out and turned the bottle so as to read the label._

_‘GRAY, JOSEPH DANIEL_

_TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH EVERY SIX HOURS_

_OXYCONTIN’_

_He’d almost forgotten… His foster father had gone through a serious hip surgery a while back and the doctor had filled a prescription for painkillers, should he ever need them during his recovery. He’d only taken a few over the course of his healing period, leaving behind a nearly full bottle of a hundred-some odd pills._

_Baby stared at them, his vision beginning to blur save for that stupid orange bottle…_

_Another stab of pain, promising a botched job the next day should he not recover, made the decision for him. Two pills and roughly twenty minutes later, and Baby was the most pain-free he’d been in a long, long time._

_And, as he should’ve known, it had been harder to give up that peace and numbness than he’d thought._

-+-+-+-

                Baby pushed those old memories away as the intel meeting wrapped up.

                “Thanks for your partially-divided attention,” Doc concluded, with a stern look at Darling and Buddy. “We’ll see you tomorrow on the eighth floor of parking.”

                Everyone stood, all set on the plan, and walked out. Baby took a second to gather his composure before he trailed after them. He’d almost managed to sneak out undetected, too, until Doc’s voice bounced off the concrete walls and froze Baby in place. He didn’t bother turning to face his handler. “…yes?”

                “I need to know if you’re here,” Doc replied. When Baby turned around, the confusion clear in his body language, the older man elaborated. “I need to know that tomorrow you’ll be here. One hundred percent. Not just physically.”

                “It was food poi-“

                “Don’t lie to me, Baby,” the crime boss warned. Baby clamped his mouth shut and tried to keep himself from sweating through sheer force of will. Doc took slow, deliberate steps towards his driver. “If you seriously think that I don’t know about your fun, new pastime…”

                “I don’t,” Baby answered.

                “Good,” Doc replied. He stopped less than a foot away from the driver. “These jobs are more than just jobs, Baby. They’re investments in the crews that I hire to pull off said jobs. Now, as my one and only driver, I’d say that makes you a _very_ important investment for me, don’t you agree?” he asked. Baby didn’t respond. “And when you have an investment, you watch it. Carefully. You make sure to watch the game, the players, anything and anyone that your investment can be affected by… All to ensure that it grows. Or, should it start to fail…” His eyes were cold. “You can cut it loose.”

                “I won’t fail,” Baby replied.

                Doc slapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled, his tone returning to normal. “I know, Baby. I just want you to understand your importance. You’re very important to me, an integral part of this team… I’d hate to see such potential wasted because of something as trivial as a little smack.”

                Hearing it said out loud hurt worse than the cravings he was currently dealing with. Baby didn’t blush much anymore, or feel any kind of embarrassment. Just ask anyone that watched him dancing in the streets. But something like _this_ … His ‘pastime’, as Doc had affectionately referred to it… That was something that Baby worked very, very hard at keeping as quiet as possible. Sure, he told Doc that he wouldn’t fail him, that he’d be thoroughly present at the job tomorrow, but the position he was currently in was far more shameful than he’d ever wanted it to get.

                Not sure what was the right thing to say, Baby quickly went through his catalogue of movie quotes that might fit the situation and settled on _Wreck It Ralph_ ’s Vanellope von Schweet. “It’s okay,” he answered. “I’ve got it under control.”

                “That’s my Baby.”

                The signature phrase Doc used normally sparked some semblance of pride, even if it was from a crime boss and only because he’d done criminal things… This time, it sounded like a threat.

                He watched Doc walk away, unaware that a set of curious ears had been listening.

               Even though most of their conversation had been hushed, Buddy was no stranger to Baby’s peculiar behaviors. After gleaning just a few words, followed by Baby’s claim to have ‘it’ under control, he had a pretty good idea as to what was going on. A smirk formed on his face as he disappeared back down the stairwell.


End file.
